Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum coriaceum
King-of-the-meadow, late meadow-rue, meadow-weed, muskrat-weed, pigamon pubescent, tall meadow-rue
maid of the mist
bright yellow, tuberous.
erect, coarse, 50-300 cm.
erect, coarse, 65-150 cm, glabrous.
blade ternately and pinnately decompound;
leaflets light to dark green, cordate or nearly orbiculate to ovate or obovate, apically undivided to 2-3(-5)-lobed or -toothed, 11-68 × 5-70 mm, length 0.8-2.6 times width, membranous to firm, margins scarcely revolute, lobe margins entire, surfaces abaxially pubescent to glabrous.
blade 1-4x-ternately compound;
leaflets reniform or obovate to orbiculate, apically 3-9-lobed or toothed, 10-75 mm wide, lobe margins crenate, surfaces abaxially glabrous or glandular.
racemes or panicles to corymbs, apically ± rounded, many flowered;
peduncles and pedicels often pubescent.
panicles, pyramidal, loosely branched, many flowered.
unisexual or bisexual (sometimes bisexual with very few stamens);
sepals 4(-6), white to purplish, elliptic-rounded, 2-3.5 mm;
filaments ascending, white to purplish, filiform to distinctly clavate, 1.5-7 mm, usually rigid;
anthers 0.5-1.5(-2.1) mm, usually blunt or only slightly apiculate.
sepals white to purplish, lanceolate-ovate, 1.5-5.5 mm;
filaments maroon, 4-4.5 mm;
anthers 2-5.5 mm, apiculate, subulate-tipped;
stigma maroon.
numerous, sessile to stipitate;
stipe 0.5-1.5(-2.4) mm;
body ellipsoid, 3-5 mm, prominently veined, usually pubescent;
beak usually persistent, straight or coiled distally, 0.6-2.5 mm, about 1/2 length of achene body.
3-15, erect, not reflexed, stipitate;
stipe ± wing-angled, 0.7-2.5 mm;
body obliquely ovoid to ellipsoid, not laterally compressed, 3-6.5 mm, strongly veined or ribbed, veins not anastomosing;
beak 1.5-3 mm.
= 126.
Thalictrum pubescens
Thalictrum coriaceum
The ovaries change from white to purplish, becoming light green, then darker green, and finally brown as fruits mature.
Because of the polymorphic nature of Thalictrum pubescens, a proliferation of names for minor morphologic variants has resulted. Field studies (M. Park 1992) have shown that too much morphologic variation occurs within populations to support the recognition of previously described taxa. Plants in New England and northeastern Canada often have a corymbose inflorescence and longer filaments and achene beaks.
This species is often incorrectly treated in floras as T. polygamum Sprengel, an invalid name.
The Iroquois used Thalictrum pubescens medicinally a a wash for head and neck, to stop nosebleeds, and to treat gall (D. E. Moerman 1986).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Glandular plants of Thalictrum coriaceum have often been misidentified as T. revolutum despite important differences in the leaflets, the latter having entire rather than crenate lobe margins.
Studies by M. Park and L. Morse (unpubl.) for The Nature Conservancy confirmed that Thalictrum steeleanum is highly variable in all allegedly diagnostic characters and is not distinct from T. coriaceum.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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